March 2006
Nows your chance - the liquidators are having an auction:
www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=...4
A 765bhp ZT sound entertaining too! Read more
My lovely chrome badge on the centre of my 2003 Mark 4 Vauxhall Astra's steering wheel is badly damaged due to the steering lock that I use. Is it possible to remove and replace this badge and how do I go about it? I have looked on Ebay for a badge but I'm unable to locate one. I have been told through a friend who rebadged his Opel Astra to a Vauxhall Astra that this badge cannot be replaced on the streering wheel. I hope somebody can help. Thanks
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This may be a long shot, but Vauxhall Heritage Services are the obsolete parts arm linked to Vauxhall, but they can help sometimes with info on current parts too. www.vauxhallheritage.com/ They may be able to help if you give them a call & they may know who makes the badge or even if it was fitted to a non-airbag steering wheel (older base model Corsa, Astra, Vivaro etc)so you may be able to get the badge separately.
I just went and picked up the boot lid for a Clio for a mate that had bought it on eBay. He lives in Glasgow, the boot lid was in Croydon, and strangely the seller wouldn't post. It's now in my garage in Bromley, and I'm not really that clear on what my mate thinks will happen next.
It was pretty much the oddest thing/situation I've had in the back of the car. What's yours? (Sorry, I'm bored while my PC does some backing up - keep it clean kids!) Read more
Once carried a complete Royal Enfield (250cc continental GT ?) motor bike in the back of a Vauxhall Viva Just took out the rear seat & front wheel off bike got it in & out with a struggle but it fitted
Hello wise ones,
Sorry if this has been rehearsed a billion fold, but I can't find any recent thread.
I want a good Sat Nav system for my new car that may be delivered one day soon, I hope .
I have a Palm Zire 72 so suppose I could get the software, but I am not keen on all the trailing wires my husband has with that set up.
Is there anything small and neat, simple to operate, that won't fall off the dashboard, make a mark on the window, or confuse me until I cry etc etc?
I rejected the one I could have bought with the new car because it phoned some centre and told them my daily calorie intake and what I was wearing - it was all a bit too personal. And a lot too expensive for what I need. I am not lost often, but when I do get lost, it is spectacular.
All suggestions gratefully received.
Thanks.
Alijazz (who doesn't own a Honda Jazz and isn't a man) Read more
Hi Everyone,
Thanks so much for all the messages and suggestions. I am checking them all out. I appreciate your taking the time.
Watch this space. I hope to get a car tomorrow. Failing that, the sav nav will just get strapped to my back!
Alijazz
I've delayed posting this ramble until I had a better idea of the outcome. About a month ago my neighbour asked if I would look at her daughter's 5 year old Fiesta which she described as dead. I grabbed my cheap jump-start battery and opened my neighbour's garage door. There was a distinct reek of petrol. I sat in the car and turned off the heated back window, the fan and the stereo. A turn of the key gave a faint chattering of the solenoid and the dash warning lights pulsed in sympathy. After checking the electrolyte level and terminal security I put the battery on charge and took the plugs out. They weren't quite dripping but they were certainly wet with petrol so I cleaned the plugs and put them in the Aga and returned the following day. Remembering the risks of unburnt petrol and a catalyser, I gave it a few bursts of starter with the plugs out in the hope that it might ventilate the exhaust. The plugs were then torqued back in and the jump starter connected. The car started almost at once, thank goodness. I told my now grinning neighbour to lock up and take the Fiesta for a 20 mile run to include some motorway driving.
After giving neighbour and daughter a caveat about the battery possibly needing replacement or a charging fault being present and knowing that the car had only a 6 mile commute, I tried to come up with a few bits of elementary advice that might be relevant. I offer the few tips below for discussion and expansion.
Switch off electrical stuff before killing the engine after the journey.
Likewise wait until the engine is running before switching on lights, fan and heated window.
Don't manoeuvre with headlights or heated window still on unless you have to.
Don't start the car, pull it out of the garage, switch off and then go looking for handbag, gloves, mobile etc. Get ready and drive off; leave the engine running when closing the garage door.
Don't set off, then bang it into second gear as soon as the car is moving. Without wringing its neck, let the engine (and therefore the alternator) spin a little as you go up the gears.
Don't sit with your foot on the brake pedal for ages; light up the little handbrake warning light instead of the array of brake lights.
Don't use any of your fog lights unless it's foggy (the clue is in the name).
Finally, if the car isn't going to start, give your neighbour or rescue service the chance to help you out, don't keep trying the starter until the battery is completely dead.
Despite the inclement weather, the car is still running, and on the original battery.
Hawkeye
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Stranger in a strange land Read more
The last vans we had were from BT & British Gas & Council fleets, back in 1981, this went out of UK production (didn't meet the newly introduced dual circuit braking requirements IIRC(
www.ajovalo.net/Historia/Pakettiautoja2.htm
& car derived Bedford/Vauchall Viva based HA's - had dozens of them from BT!!
Both starting handle, vehicles.
VB
I had recent problem with this Cav not starting very well when cold. I would fire eventually but it was hard work. Several users of this site suggested I check the valve clearences which are prone to closing up, especially on the inlet valves. I did this and found that three inlet valves had not just closed to zero clearance but gone a few thou' the other way, holding the valve open! EEK! All the other valves had insufficient clearances although they had not actually closed up, yet. I've re-shimed head which was straightforward and all is well. The Cav' starts first turn of the key now. The manager of the vauxhall workshop where I got the shims, said it is a regular problem and when these cars were a current model, they had 3 or 4 in the workshop per week for adjustment. The clearances should be: inlet 7-10 thou, exhaust 15-18 thou. Diesel Cav' owners beware, and thanks to those who helped me diagnose this starting fault. Read more
Yes, I also thought these clearances were bit big, especially when I normally woek on old Land Rovers with 10 thou clearances for both ex an inlet. These figures however were given to me by the VAUXHALL WORKSHOP MANAGER himself - straight from the horses mouth so to speak. Oh, and HE gave them to me in imperial measurement even though the shims are marked in metric. I simply converted the figures.
Hi,
Hope someone can help me out on this:
I recently (last october)bought an 04 Seat Toledo tdi SE ( the 110bhp model, not the PD type). Very small milage of 5k, ex demo.
Anyhow, the car is inclined to stumble between 1500 to 2000 rpm, and you can actually hear the turbo whistle cut in and out under gentle acceleration within this rev range. This is more noticeable when the car is cold, or under a load, such as climbing a steepish gradient.
It was discovered that disconnecting the EGR Vacuum pipe and closing it off solves this stumbling. From this, it was thought that the EGR valve itself was sticking.
So far, the EGR valve, and the EGR solenoid valve, and the MAF have been replaced, with no improvement. The N75 wastegate was also swapped out with another one, but this made no change.
In Summary, the car will only drive properly with the EGR disconnected.
Any thoughts on what is causing the EGR to stay open too long?
I'm starting to get sick of this problem at this stage!
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Check the small vacumn pipes from the EGR and the N75 area for split's, they can be difficult to find but are the most likely cause.
hi looking at buying an audi a4 1.8t with lpg conversion showing 117k on the clock. the price is more or less about right, but i need to keep the car at least 3 years and as such will the engine run to 200k trouble free aslong as it is regularly serviced? the car has fsh and is in very good condition just need to know if the engine will be good for another few years?
cheers
chris Read more
I don't know about this particular engine/conversion but I know that the Seat Leon 1.8 Cupra (same basic engine) had terrible problems running with LPG conversions a few years ago.
It might be fine, it might not, but at £3k it's too much money to risk if you need that car to last that long and don't have any alternatives.
At £3k I'd buy a Seat Toledo tdi of the same sort of mileage but around year 2000 if I liked VAG cars and wanted it to last me 3 year/60k miles.
hello everyone,I have been reading this forum for some time now and am constantly amazes at the knowledge displayed.Slightly off a motoring topic but does anyone know why my sat nav has lost its gps connection. \the handbook is useless and I just cannot find any reference anywhere as to what to look for.I think I must have deleted a file by mistake but just cannot find the problem after much fiddling and head scratching.The software is Tomtom. Any advice would be appreciated.The screen just states "waiting for a gps connection" after punching in a destination. Read more
There is also a firmware upgrade which might be useful to you. Prior to installing this my Navman PiN (Mio 168 clone)used to take some time to pick up a max of 4-5 satellites, after installation it gets 9 or 10 regularly, sometimes even 12 and will get 5 even inside my house.
Details are here
www.expansys.com/forumthread.asp?code=113072&threa...2
Look for posts by DaveUSA
also here
www.expansys.com/forumthread.asp?code=113072&threa...7
read Ausie rodneys initial post
My Navman is also set to COM2, baud rate 4800
HTH - though I don't know much about the technicalities of these!!
--
Phil
I have got £4,000 approximately to spend on a Toyota Yaris.
Researching HJ?s car by car breakdown and previous posts I believe I want a 2003 T3 or T spirit 1.3
I am not sure about 3 or 5 doors.
Versos seem extremely rare. Are they worth pursuing?
Which model is easier to sell? I would hate to end up a difficult to sell variant
Are auctions the best place to look?
Best wishes
John
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Thanks for the offer. I remember meeting you at the Ace
cafe backroom meet, a while back
Hello again.
May the Gods be with you on your search.
The New Yaris accessories brochure circa April 03
has a center spread of a Yaris and a couple of bikes n bikers in front of the Ace Cafe.
Spooky?
Browse
At least we know now where some of the money went that could have been spent on developing new mass market cars that might have sold and saved the company...if that's what the 'Phoenix Four' ever intended.